Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
[Commentary] I could very well be the world’s biggest fan of petits four, but even I must admit when enough is enough.
How many Democratic “debates” have we witnessed thus far? Four? Five? Honestly, I lost count. They’ve been roughly as memorable as a midnight drive through Nebraska. (For those who haven’t had the unique pleasure, you’ll have to trust me on this one.) Sure, there have been sweet little sound bytes planted here and there. The American media — including many blogs — have placed these nicely on a decorative tray and served them proudly to anyone passing by.
Did you hear John Edwards didn’t like Hillary Clinton’s choice of jacket?
Did you know Joe Biden thinks the best thing about Dennis Kucinich is his wife?
Can you believe Barack Obama didn’t own the stage in front of all those black people?
Here. Have another bite.
If you’ve been a little too indulgent with the dessert tray and are now craving something with a little substance, you need to know there is hope of a meat-and-potatoes meal in the near future.
This Thursday, all the Democratic candidates except Sen. Joe Biden have all agreed to gather in Los Angeles for a forum on the issues affecting the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens. Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, singer Melissa Etheridge and journalist Jonathan Capehart will be panelists at the event. Margaret Carlson will serve as event moderator. The event will be televised at 8 p.m. in Iowa on the Logo network and there have also been several organizations step up to the plate to offer viewing parties. Those interested in locating one can check with local news media or visit the HRC community pages for more information.
Some might scoff at the idea of the candidates’ comments on gay rights being important in today’s society or important in the lives of straight Americans. The bottom line is that the issues important to the GLBT community are the issues that are important to all of us — well, at least important to those of us who care about human rights.
Here’s the major bonus prize: For a full two hours we are going to hear the seven candidates answer questions and provide comments on a single issue. Who knows? Maybe it will set a trend and we’ll actually have an opportunity to quiz the candidates on health care, education, use of the military, poverty, New Orleans reconstruction and our nation’s infrastructure needs.
When petits four are stacked all together, there’s no denying they make an amazing presentation. Serving tray after tray of them to guests at an event you’ve billed as a dinner party, however, may just place you on the receiving end of a serving fork.
Here’s hoping I’ll see all of you around the table Thursday night. I’ll bring the wet-naps.
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